1. Field
The present teachings generally relate to methods and system useful for controlling a plurality of devices that make up a biological analytical system and more particularly to a method and system for controlling the devices by providing interfaces that allow standardizing the manner in which states of the devices are represented in the controlling scheme.
2. Description of the Related Art
A DNA-related analysis laboratory is an example of a biological analysis laboratory that may include a large number of analytical devices. The devices can either prepare samples, measure samples, or process data from the measurements. In a typical DNA-related analysis, it may be desirable to perform different types of analytical measurements to yield various aspects of the desired result.
Because different types of analytical devices operate inherently differently, controlling and coordinating large numbers of such devices typically requires substantial amount of human intervention. Such human attention may be required during some portion of an analysis chain because the various devices are not sufficiently integrated. Human attention may also be required when integrating different devices into an existing system, because one may need to reconfigure the configuration of a control system so that it recognizes the new device. While such operator-intensive approach may be suitable in small scale systems, it is a substantial concern in larger systems.